Creative Writing Podcast

Creative Writing Podcast

I had to do a series of podcasts for Media Practices II, part of the broadcasting curriculum at Iowa Central Community College. So, I got a friend to help me and this is the (nerdy) result. Enoy!

Book Review: Ever By Jessa Russo

I recently had the pleasure of reading Jessa Russo’s debut novel, Ever. It’s in a genre I don’t normally even glance at (YA Paranormal Romance), but I won the book in a contest. And as an aspiring author, I know the importance of reading just about everything you can! So, with some trepidation, I opened the cover and started reading.

The first thing I noticed: Jessa’s writing is strong. It sucks you into the book from the very first paragraph. I haven’t been that engrossed in a book in a long time…and that’s coming from a life-long bookworm. Even my favorite genres haven’t produced books that have kept me as into the story as Ever did. I am far from the target age-range for this genre, but Jessa wrote the book in such a way that it appeals to readers of all ages.

Now, to the story!

The story revolves around 17 year old Ever Van Ruesdayle and her ghost friend Frankie. She’s loved Frankie for years but just can’t bring herself to tell him. She has the normal problems for a 17 year old and when a new neighbor moves in across the street, her problems multiply. The book follows Ever as she falls in love with the hot guy, Toby, across the street. Their relationship follows the normal ups and downs until we get to the climatic ending…which I will not ruin for you =).

Things that I liked about this novel: the story drew me in from the start. Again, I am not the target age-range for this genre and it’s not one I normally look at. But I will be a future purchaser of Jessa Russo’s books! The story seemed true-to-life outside of the paranormal elements. Ever is a normal 17 year old girl with the normal problems of that age group. She seemed down to earth outside of the paranormal elements of the book. I loved the story, as it had a natural flow. Despite being ‘paranormal’ there was nothing too weird in the book, even as the end of the book comes around. Jessa managed to make everything work in the “real world” without falling into the normal traps of paranormal books.

There wasn’t much I disliked about the book. I did find Toby a little cliche, in that he was the “hot new guy”…I think if he’d been a little more ordinary looking, less “hunky”, I’d have liked him even more. But he’s a likeable character nonetheless. And to Jessa’s credit, he doesn’t have that “hunky” personality…in that sense, he was more ordinary. And he mostly treated the main character right, so that was nice.

I thought the female antagonist was a little…too antagonistic at times. She played her part well, but I thought for the genre, she went a little above at times. She can can be very sexual, and it might just be my raising (again, I’m older than the target age-range) but I thought she (and some other characters) at times, got a little too sexual for the book. For a reader my age, it was fine, but knowing the typical age-range, that stood out to me.

The only other complaint is that I have to wait for the sequel to see what happens next! *laughs* But the ending is well done and while I had a slightly different outcome in mind, I can’t complain about the way the book ended. I was engaged every time I picked up the book and even if I went a few days between readings, I was able to easily pick up where I left off.

I’d give Ever by Jessa Russo 5 of 5 stars! And I can’t wait for the sequel!!

Characters

As I was gearing up to write what might’ve been quite a blow up between my two main characters I started wondering: does anyone else have characters in their head? By that I mean: these two were duking it out in my head for a good day ahead of when I wrote the scene. The scene was a good one, they definitely had a fight, but not the big blow up I was expecting. Now, that could change in revisions. Or it means they got the big nasties over with in my head before I composed their scene.

It sounds crazy to most people who aren’t writers; voices in your head? They put us writers down as crazy, give us strange looks, etc. But when you think about it, we’re not truly crazy are we? There are some of us who simply have this strange bond with these fictional people we’ve created. And those fictional people love to drive us insane at times.

So…any other writers experience this? Or am I truly crazy?

The Next Big Thing (Week 26)

1- What is the working title of your book?
Driven

2- Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wondered what would happen if my favorite drummer was injured in a car accident (yes, my imagination runs a little morbid at times)

3- What genre does your book fall under?
Commercial/Mainstream

4- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Oy…I’d like to have some unknowns, since that’s how the fictional band in the book got started.

5- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Rock star drummer is permanently injured in car accident; can he drum again?

6- Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Hopefully represented by an agency

7- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
11 months =)

8- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Probably Firefly Lane from Kristen Hannah

9- Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Avenged Sevenfold and esp. Jimmy The Rev Sullivan (RIP)

10- What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s different because it features a rock band =)

Tagged for next week (Week 27) are some of my very talented writer friends. Check out their blogs next Wednesday, December 5th, when it’s their turn to post answers to these same questions about their own works-in-progress!

(Looking for people to tag!)

Writerly Thoughts

Happy Veterans Day/Remembrance Day. Thank you to all who have served or are serving.

As I’m editing book two today, I started thinking about how I’d written it. This is probably the third or fourth time now that I’ve gone over it. I’ve gone over it for content before, for word count, and now I’m doing it for both. But I found myself questioning some of my favorite scenes. I wondered if they were too silly. Was it too much filler? Did I really need it?

I’m no expert at self-editing, but the reading I’ve done on self-editing, and watching my fellow writers on other websites, has given me some great tools. I have deleted scenes I loved because they didn’t advance the plot. I just did a minor re-wording of a scene because after a little research, my first idea would be impossible.

I think as writers we get attached to things. Those things might be scenes, words, sentences, what have you and we hate to part with them. But in order to make our books better and our stories pop, we have to part with our babies. I have a document called “trash” and all my favorite deleted scenes go there. I also try to keep an original draft of the book in case I want something later. But I’ve had to learn to part with my favorites from time to time.

What about you, readers? Is it hard to part with favorites in your books? Do you keep a “trash” document just in case?

GUTGAA

Hard to believe we’re nearing the end of Gearing Up to Get An Agent, hosted by Deana Barnhart. She’s been an amazing host and I hope she can host this again next year.

Today, there were two windows for the Small Press Contest. I managed to snag one spot in the afternoon round, which can be difficult since she doesn’t open many spots. Be sure to watch here for the link to my entry, which should be posted by Monday.

And be sure to visit her blog and read all of the amazing entries from the Agent Pitch contest and to see what GUTGAA is all about.

Menage Monday

So, there are a lot of great flash fiction contests out there each week. And I’ve gotten into two of them:

Thursday Threads

and

Menage Monday

Both contests are great for getting a writer out of their usual boxes and making them think about stories they might not have otherwise. Last week, I won an Honorable Mention in Thursday Threads, which thrilled me to no end; I don’t win anything very often. This week, I participated in Menage Monday. I was shocked to wake up this morning and see that I’m taken the title of “Champ” for this week! Here is my winning story:

Looking around, Medusa blinked; the road to nothing seemed to be exactly that. The pieces of tumbleweed rolling lazily across the highway should’ve been a clue, she supposed. Sighing, she pressed the accelerator a little harder; she didn’t want to miss Sunday dinner with her mother.

Naturally, they had cautioned her about taking the back roads. But the interstate was so boring and she liked the scenic route. This time, the scenic route was less scene and more ‘I’m going to be late’. Her ringing phone emphasized this point; it was her mother.

“Hey mom. Yes, I know, I’m late. No, I’m not lost. Yes, I love you, too.”

Hanging up, she smiled, hurrying around the curve and finally saw the sights of home in the distance.

“Shit.” Looking in her rearview mirror, she spotted a state patrolman and pulled over. She started thinking of her defense, then smiled. Straightening the snakes she called hair, she put on her most charming smile and rolled down her window.

“Hell—“ thunk. The officer fell, completely turned to stone. Smiling, Medusa rolled up her window and continued home; that was the fifth speeding ticket she’d gotten out of this week.

199 Words

(c) Aightball 2012

Head over the contest page to see the awesome, shiny badge I won and to check out other contests =).

How Did You Become a Writer?

I’ve seen a lot of people lately talking about how they became a writer and it made me think about my journey. And I wondered about others as well.

I became a writer around the age of twelve. Prior to that, when I was in second grade, my church had an essay contest. I won the big prize of $5 and got to read my winning essay to the entire church. Being from a small town, the audience was small, but it kind of made me think I liked writing.

When I got into the sixth grade, however, I really got bit by the writing bug. It’s all thanks to my teacher, Mrs. Greeley. She complimented my writing in her English class and it really struck me; someone liked my writing. As I went through jr. high school and eventually high school, I kept writing. To this day, I have stacks upon stacks of old story notebooks (I’m old, for you young readers, lol!). My first “book” was written on a typewriter, with a black pen, and on an old Apple IIe at school. I even submitted it to a publishing house. *facepalm* I wish I could find that old rejection letter, because it was actually a very kind rejection.

Then, I entered college and put the brakes on a for a while. After graduation, the brakes wouldn’t let up. Then, in 2007 I became an Avenged Sevenfold fan. That next year, I wrote my first novel in years; it took me exactly 11 months. And I thought I had the best thing since sliced bread.

*cue laughter*

Okay, it needed work. A LOT of work. And a sequel. But I’d written it. I had broken free of the writer’s block that had gripped me for two years or more. And it was a huge breakthrough. I started writing fanfic to get my creative brain going. Eventually, I created my own characters and gave them their own book.

Now, writing is almost all I do. I read when I can, I listen to a ton of music, and I’m back in school for the third (and hopefully last) time. I have researched the process of getting published and am finally following my dream of becoming a writer. It’s going to take time, it’s not going to be an easy road, but every pair of eyes that sees my novel in is a step forward. And all the critiques I get on it help, too. Eventually, I’ll find that perfect agent who loves and understands my book.

So, tell me your story. How did you become a writer?

Critique Contest by Bree Odgen

Enter with the Raffelcopter to win a critique of your query, synopsis, and first five pages.

 

Click Here

Welcome

Welcome to The Nook; grab a comfortable chair, bean bag, or spot of floor and settle in.

Drink?

Snack?

Welcome to my little slice of the web. I am Kel, a writer, reader, music lover, and hobby photographer. If you are an agent, please be sure to check out my query letter and a snippet of my novel Driven. If you are a potential employer, please check out my resume and my writing.

There’s not much to know about this girl. I am sometimes shy, sometimes outgoing, and always writing. When I’m not writing, it’s likely my nose is stuck in a book and music is on. I am a huge Avenged Sevenfold fan and my novel was inspired by their late drummer The Rev. I love to read and will read just about anything. Music tastes vary, but I’ll listen to anything once.

I love taking pictures and when all else fails, I’ll get my friends together and head out with my camera. Recent adventures include walking in the Des Moines river, photographing the effects of the drought here in Iowa and photographing my lovely nieces, ages four and three months. I also dabble in storm photography and living in Iowa, I have plenty of stormy subjects to photograph.

Well, I hope you enjoy your visit. If you have any questions, contact me at aightball@hotmail.com and put “Website Question” in the subject line.

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